Mercury Adds Asu and Uarizona Products, Finalizes 2022 Training Camp Roster
April 15, 2022 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA)
Phoenix Mercury News Release
PHOENIX - The three-time WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury today announced the signings of Arizona State University forward Mael Gilles, UArizona forward Sam Thomas and Texas Tech guard Vivian Gray to training camp contracts. With the three additions, the Mercury roster now stands at 18 players. An updated Mercury roster is attached.
Gilles, a 6-foot-1 forward from Montreal, Quebec joins the Mercury from Arizona State, where she started in all games played (25). Giles joined ASU as a graduate transfer from Rutgers after being granted an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19. While at Rutgers, Gilles averaged 8.1 points and 4.3 rebounds as a senior, helping the Scarlet Knights earn their highest seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2012. A starter in 55 of 101 games for Rutgers over the course of four seasons, Gilles notched six double-figure scoring efforts, including a season high 16 points twice. Gilles was a member of the 2016 Canadian Development National Team and Canadian Junior Women's National Team, earned a silver medal with the 2013 Canadian Women's National Team and was named a CÉGEP League First Team honoree, recognizing the best in Quebec high school basketball in 2016-17.
Thomas, a five-year starter from Las Vegas, Nevada joins from the University of Arizona, where she finished her career with 5,125 minutes played in 154 games played, ranking first all-time in program history. Thomas capped her career with a top-10 career ranking in program history in scoring (1,382), three-point field goals made (219), three-point field goal percentage (37.18), blocks (198) and steals (264). While at Arizona, Thomas earned 2021 Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year, 2021 and 2022 CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American honors, 2018 Arizona Athletics Female Freshman of the Year and won the Elite 90 Award for the best GPA of any student-athlete at the Final Four her senior year.
Gray, a 6-foot-1 standout from Argyle, Texas, joins from Texas Tech where she averaged a team best 20.2 points and 5.3 rebounds during her final season with the Lady Raiders. The combo-guard also contributed 51 assists, 45 steals and 25 blocks, a team high for the 2021-22 season. While at Tech, she reached both the 2,000-point mark for her D-I career and the 2,500-point mark for her entire collegiate career. Gray began her collegiate basketball career at the D-II level, playing for Fort Lewis College. Gray closed her Lady Raider career by receiving multiple accolades including CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, four WBCA All-American distinctions, First Team All-Big 12 honors and was named First Team All-Big 12 selection, becoming just the fourth women's basketball player in Big-12 history to receive the honor four times.
Led by the 2021 Olympic gold-medal winning trio of Diana Taurasi, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Tina Charles, and coming off the club's fifth WNBA Finals appearance in franchise history, the three-time WNBA Champion Phoenix Mercury return to Footprint Center this summer, tipping off the season with Fry's Food Stores Opening Night on Friday, May 6, against the Las Vegas Aces.
Women's National Basketball Association Stories from April 15, 2022
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- Indiana Fever Set 2022 Training Camp Roster - Indiana Fever
- Mercury Adds Asu and Uarizona Products, Finalizes 2022 Training Camp Roster - Phoenix Mercury
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